Many utilities have begun to implement frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) communications in a mesh network of metering devices. Some FHSS implementations operate in a synchronous mode in which receiving devices are substantially continuously synchronized with transmitting devices in time or frequency. Such synchronous implementations typically require the use of clock circuitry and require some amount of data traffic to maintain time within the system. Other FHSS implementations operate in a self-synchronous mode in which receiving devices are not synchronized at all times with transmitting devices in time or frequency. In such self-synchronous implementations, a receiving device scans a number of frequencies in the hop sequence in order to detect a preamble signal on one of the frequencies. Once detected, the receiving device will attempt to lock onto that channel, and the two devices will then begin hopping in sequence. While self-synchronous systems do not require the same type of clock circuitry as synchronous systems and avoid the communications overhead required to maintain synchronization among nodes, such systems do typically require a long preamble to be transmitted in order to provide sufficient opportunity for a receiver to scan and lock onto a channel. This itself may result in some data overhead.
The foregoing background discussion is intended solely to aid the reader. It is not intended to limit the innovations described herein. Thus, the foregoing discussion should not be taken to indicate that any particular element of a prior system is unsuitable for use with the innovations described herein, nor is it intended to indicate that any element is essential in implementing the innovations described herein. The implementations and application of the innovations described herein are defined by the appended claims.